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What have been the best Microgaming slot releases each year - Part Two

What have been the best Microgaming slot releases each year - Part Two

Welcome to the second part of our article looking at Microgaming's extensive back catalogue if games, taking a chronological look at each year from 1998, through to 2018 and revealing what our pick is for the top game is each year out of all of the Microgaming releases for that period.

In the first article, we discovered what Microgaming's first few slot releases were, we also then looked at how they developed their first five-reel games and then in 2000 came the very first progressive jackpot games, all of which are still playable today at a wide range of Microgaming casinos. That led us up to the first licensed Microgaming slot (Lara Croft Tomb Raider) and the release in 2006 of the daddy of them all, the Mega Moolah progressive slot.

In this second part of the article, we are going to pick up where we left off with releases from 2008 on wards. 2008 was the year that Lehman Brothers collapsed ushering in new era of "helicopter money" - the repercussions of which are being felt very hard today.

It was also a year which saw mobile gaming start to gain a foothold in the market and it was a period when Microgaming released another very strong selection of slot and casino games for its burgeoning fan base.

There was a lot of strong games released in 2008 including the Tomb Raider sequel, Secret of the Sword, which is another Microgaming classic. Other top games that are still playable today include the festive Deck The Halls, Sure Win, Alley Cats and Stash of the Titans. However, there is no doubt that the top slot this year was the sequel Break Da Bank Again, a game which has proven to have immense appeal over the years and which remains, even ten years later, one of the most popular slots played each month for Microgaming.

It was another busy year for releases in 2009 for Microgaming, top games included Burning Desire, Centre Court, Summer Holiday, Three Wheeler and Silver Fang. Two games that were close to the title of best slot were the Alaskan Fishing and Kings of Cash slots, both of which still enjoy plenty of support today, however the decision to increase the number of machines available to win the Mega Moolah jackpot on, by releasing Mega Moolah versions of classic games 5-Reel Drive and Summertime, make these two games the joint top slots of the year for me and indeed, it wasn't too long after their release that the first Mega Moolah winner was landed playing the 5-Reel Drive version of the game.

There may have been fewer releases in 2010 from Microgaming but what games were released were of an exceptionally high standard. The likes of Lions Pride, Dragon Lady, Tiger's Eye, Santa's Wild Ride and Sugar Mama were all great releases and the Hellboy slot was one of the most striking games visually and was packed to the brim with some fabulous cartoon-inspired features. However, nothing came close to Thunderstruck II, with it's huge, multi-million coin jackpot available to be won and a selection of four different bonus games to play through on the slot. Thunderstruck may have been a cracker when it was first released, but it's sequel remains, to many, the greatest ever Microgaming non-progressive slot.

Another good year for Microgaming saw some cracking games released including Party Island, Asian Beauty, Hot Ink and Riviera Riches. However, buoyed by the success of Thunderstruck II, Microgaming went back to that same blueprint to produce the Immortal Romance slot which has a similar structure to Thunderstruck II but which boasted even greater coin value jackpot prizes. The question is, would fans tire of the same slot design in a new game design, the answer to that was an unequivocal no.

There were some fabulous releases in 2012 as Microgaming maintained its position as one of the leading slots and casino game developers in the world. White Buffalo, Untamed Giant Panda, Phantom Cash and the Twisted Circus were highlights, while the Shoot! slot certainly appealed to the growing number of football fans trying their hands at slots. However, the Battlestar Galactica slot, with its different game modes and exciting Sci-Fi feel was a perfect combination of beautiful presentation and fantastic bonus features to make it this year's top game.

I suppose it had to happen that Microgaming would have a quieter year than past years and perhaps 2013 was that year. Some decent games were released, notably Mystic Dreams, Jason and the Golden Fleece, Playboy and Dolphin Quest, but it was the Girl with Guns Jungle Heat game which really caught the attention of slot gamers this year, a fact which spawned a sequel in 2014.

By 2014, Microgaming had started to release fewer games per year but the quality of these releases were growing and that is perfectly evident here with a number of fantastic games including Fish Party, Jurassic Park, So Much Sushi, So Much Candy and So Many Monsters. Avalon II is a brilliant slot that perhaps in another year would have won the crown, but for me, the brilliant presentation and superb bonus features of the Terminator 2 slot make this the game of the year.

2015 was another year of top quality releases, with the underrated Bullseye slot a perfect throwback to lovers of Sunday afternoon TV quiz shows, Basketball Star was another in the sports themed slots, along with Rugby Star, while the film tie in Bridesmaids was an unabashed hit and featured some brilliant bonus features. However, there is no doubt that the most eagerly awaited game of the year was Game of Thrones, which allows you to play either 243-ways or 15 lines and which features four superb bonus features, named after four of the great houses of Westeros. Without doubt Game of Thrones is not just one of the best slots of 2015, but it is one of the best slots Microgaming have ever made.

While 2016 was not a massive year in terms of the number of slots released, there was a number of top-quality games released during the year. Jungle Jim El Dorado was probably the most exciting release of the year in terms of expectation, but the likes of Win Sum Dim Sum, Pretty Kitty and Bikini Party all were excellent games in their own right. However, the last release of the year, Lost Vegas, which featured the opportunity to play as Zombies or as the Survivors with different bonus features available for each, combined with genuinely spooky graphics and soundtrack was just about the best slot of the year for me.

There's no doubt that there were some absolutely corking releases in 2018 from Microgaming. Castle Builder II build on the original quest aspect of the game with some fabulous new features, Goldwyn's Fairies was as fun to play as it was beautiful to look at. 108 Heroes and Huangdi the Yellow Emperor were two excellent additions to the growing number of Asian themed slots and Pollen Party was a cheerful slot. However, for sheer theatrical excellence and a number of fantastic bonus features, not to mention a superb soundtrack taken straight from the film, the Phantom of the Opera slot just about shades it for me this year.

So far this year, most of Microgaming's top releases have been part of their partnerships with other software development companies with the likes of Rainbrew, Cash of Kingdoms, Fortunium and Wicked Tales Dark Red all good examples of that. These newer games, plus the amusing Poke the Guy game, boast a number of different new features, the Sidewinder slot is perhaps the most innovative and top release so far this year with two sideways scrolling reels alongside the usual set up, offering an innovative way to activate the bonuses and win a large cash prize.

Looking back over Microgaming's back catalogue their impressive list of games each year, in some years churning out one classic game after another, is a reminder of just how strong the company is in terms of addressing the needs of the slot and casino gaming community. With new partnerships promising a raft of new games and features, the first games of which we have seen in 2017 and 2018, it looks like the future is even more rosy for the Isle of Man-based slots giants.